Bear Bile Industry Shrinking in South Korea

In fact, it may be the size and scope of Chinese bear farming that is putting South Korea’s industry to sleep. China’s bear farming industry is 10 to 12 times the size of South Korea’s , with at least 12,000 animals being drained of their bile, and has been heavily criticized for its brutality. Poaching of wild bears is also rampant in China. Last month police in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region arrested what was characterized as a criminal gang in possession of bear paws and meat from an estimated 43 animals worth at least $3.15 million. Also last month five of the last 33 wild bears in the Changbai Mountain area of Jilin Province were killed for their gall bladders, fur, meat and paws. The meat and paws are considered delicacies in some areas. Last year a smuggling operation carrying more than 1,000 black bear paws weighing 1.2 metric tons was discovered in the Russi...